Closure lock



A. E. FOHN f CLOSURE LOCK- June 27, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Invefifnof fhdolf B1 0) 5% Filed May 9, 1935 June 27,1939. A. E. FOHN 2,163,752

' CLOSURE LOCK I Filed May 9, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 $96 A 7&95 E56 IImuenflaor: W 13. mm

nfkiztorneus Patented June 27, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SteelProducts Company,

ration of Illinois Aurora, 111., a corpo- Application May 9, 1935,Serial No. 20,559

17 Claims.

My invention relates to closure locks of a type applicable to the doorsof metal lockers, but not restricted to such use in any way. It includesamong its objects and advantages increased rigidity and simplicity and areduction in the number and weight of the moving parts involved.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of a locker;

Figure 2 is an inside view of the free edge of the locker door;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section 'on line 4--4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the cam bar;

Figure '7 is an enlarged detail of the lock and associated parts;

Figure 8 is a section on line 88 of Figure '7;

Figure 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Figure 2;

Figure 10 is a perspective of the keeper; and

Figure 11 is a section on line ll-H of Figure 10.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, thestationary housing of the locker includes a front frame comprisingrisers ill] and rails l2. The door [4 is supported by hinges l6 andprovided with ventilating louvers at I8. The free edge of the door isbent back at a right angle at and then again turned in through an angleof about 135 as clearly shown at 22 in Figure 4. Horizontal shelves 24may also be turned in at the top and bottom of the door.

I have illustrated a plurality of keepers designated as a whole by thereferencecharacter 26. Each keeper comprises a bracket made up of a baseplate 28 riveted to one of the risers Iii, a reach 30 extending backinto the locker parallel to the path of the adjacent door edge, anabutment 32 lying in the path of the edge defined by the junction ofparts '26 and 22 of the door, and ears 34 at the top and bottom of theabutment 32, extending back to support a pintle 36.

Each keeper also comprises a movable latch bolt pivoted on the pintle36. The latch bolt comprises the reach 38 and the hook'4il at the frontend of the reach. The lower end of the hook 46 is cut ofi on a bevel asat 42 to form a cam surface for releasing the latch bolt. Ears 44 arebent in and apertured to receive the pin- 'tle 36, and the reach 38 isextended past the ears and bent around into a shield 46 for housing andprotecting the spring 48. One end 59 of the spring 48 (see Figure 4)presses in. a counterclockwise direction against the bracket, and theother end 52 presses in a clockwise direction against the-edge of theshield 46. Thus the spring tends to hold the latch-bolt in the positionofFi'gures4 and 10.

The cam bar 54 is a mere strip of sheet metal nested in the anglebetween the body of th'e -door l4 and the flange 26 with its rear edgeguided in the re-entrant angle between the flange 20 and the hook flange22. Adjacent and just below each keeper 26 a lug 56 is bent out of theedge of the cam bar 54 to a position where the corner of the lug willride up under the cam surface 42 as clearly indicated in Figure 5, androtate the latch bolt in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figure4, far enough to release the door.

A connecting bracket is riveted to the cam bar 54 and comprises theattachment plate 58, the connecting plate 60 lying parallel to the bodyof the door l4 and the abutment lug 62 bent over from the attachmentplate 58. The connecting plate 68 is apertured at 64 to receive a bolt'66 extending through the body 14 to connect the plate 66 with thehandle 68. I have illustrated a spacer sleeve 1!! encircling the boltand passing through the aperture 64 and a slot 12 in the door. The nut14 may be screwed home against the sleeve 10 so that the parts will notloosen, without causing any binding of the plate 60 against the doorbody M.

The lower end of the handle 68 is turned down parallel to the door Masindicated at 16 in Figure 3 and slides inside a handle keeper 18. Thiskeeper comprises a deep U-shaped bight 80, the sides of which flare outinto a shallow U-shape at 82. One of the flared sides terminates in ashort end portion 84 lying parallel to the door body i4, and the otherterminates in a longer portion 86. The handle keeper may be assembled inthe position of Figure 9 by passing the longer portion 86 through itsslot 88 and part of the adjacent flaring portion 82 until the portion 84can pass through the opposite slot 96. Then the keeper is easily movedto the position of Figure 9 and bolted in place by the bolt 92. In theposition of Figure 9 the shallow U defined by the portions 82 receivesand guides the lower handle portion 16, and the deep portion 86 has bothits walls apertured as at 94 to receive the hasp of a padlock, 95. Asimple lug 96 projecting outwardly from the heel of the handle rendersthe padlock operative to prevent lifting of the handle and associatedcam bar.

The lock, indicated at 98, may be any preferred type, as the structureillustrated will cooperate equally well with spring locks, flat keylocks, combination looks, or the more recently popular locks which canbe opened by operating a combination known only to the individual userof the locker, or by a master key inserted centrally through thecombination mechanism. The abutment lug 62 underlies the bolt I86 of thelock when the lock is operated to prevent opening the locker.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the bar 54 is.not a latch bar, inasmuch as it performs a-camming function only; thatthe latch brackets provide a simple rigid structure suitably positionedto carry cushioning means as indicated at I02 in Figure 4, if desired;that the latch bolts operate substantially in direct tension and movethroughv a small are only; and that the camming bar need be operatedonly in opening the door and may fall back into its lower positioncushioned by the cushion I04, indicated by Figure 3, after opening thedoor, and the bar may be fully locked while the door is still in openposition as would be the case with the more recent use of combinationspring locks. Padlocks may also be snapped in place before the door isagain returned to its closed position. The only retaining members thathave to move when the door is closed are the latch bolts, the hooks ii]of which are cammed out around the hook flange 22, and in opening thedoor the outward and upward force exerted on the handle 58 need onlylift the camming bar 54% far enough to release the latch bolts, at whichpoint the immediate and prompt release of the door makes it unnecessaryfor the user to exert any additional force.

The cam bar may be assembled in place by laying it against the face ofthe door body i l and moving it by a combined movement of sliding andclockwise rotation as viewed in Figure 4 into itsassembled position. Iprefer to position the lock 98 where the body of the lock will get inthe way of the lug 62 and prevent removal of the cam bar withoutprevious removal of the lock itself. No registering slots are necessaryin the door and the vertically slidable bar, and the only slots thereare are those for the handle 68 and for the insertion of the handlekeeper. The simple shape of the cam bar 54, and the fact that the forcesnecessary to resist unauthorized opening of the door are not transferredthrough the cam bar makes it possible to make this bar much lighter thanwould otherwise provide a suitable margin of safety, which contributesmaterially to the ease and quietness of operation of the cornpieteddevice.

Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully explain myinvention that others may, by applying knowledge current at the time ofapplication, rea ly adapt the same for use under various conditions ofservice.

. I claim: 7

1. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a relativelyfixed wall structure, having an opening; and a pivoted door structurefor closing and exposing said opening: a door handle mounted for limitedvertical sliding movement near the free edge of said door structure; arelease bar housed in the free edge of said door structure and connectedto said handle for ver tical movement in unison therewith; latch meansincluding spaced movable latch elements on said Wall structure, forautomatically holding said door closed; and cam lugs on said release bareach positioned to engage one of said movable latch elements, forreleasing said latch means.

2. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a relativelyfixed wall structure, having an opening; and a pivoted door structurefor closing and exposing said opening: a door handle mounted for limitedvertical sliding movement near the free edge of said door structure; arelease bar housed in the free edge of said door structure and connectedto said handle for vertical movement in unison therewith; said free edgebeing turned in at right angles and again in the same direction throughan angle of more than-9O degrees, said release bar being of simplerectangular cross section and insertable laterally into housed position.

3. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a relativelyfixed wall structure, having an opening; and a pivoted door structurefor closing and exposing said opening: a door handle mounted for limitedvertical sliding movement near the free edge of said door structure; arelease bar housed in the free edge of said door structure and connectedto said handle for vertical movement in unison therewith; said free edgebeing turned in at right angles and again in the same direction throughan angle of more than 90 degrees, said release bar being of simplerectangular cross section and insertable laterally into housed position;and locking means assembled on the door near its free edge andobstructing removal of said release bar.

4. In a lock mechanism for a receptacle of the type comprising arelatively fixed structure; and a relatively movable structure connectedto said fixed structure to move through a predetermined path withrespect to said fixed structure, and into an open position permittingaccess to the interior of said structure, and a closed positionpreventing such access: interlocking holding means for holding saidmovable structure in the closed position, including spaced movable latchbolts on one structure, means on the other structure to deflect saidlatch bolts during movement to closed position, and means on said lastmentioned structure to engage said latch bolts and prevent opening; anexternally accessible handle carried by said movable structure andmounted for relative movement with respect to the structure carrying it;and cam means carried by the same structure as said deflecting means andoperable by movement of said handle, for releasing all said latch bolts.

5. In a lock mechanism for a receptacle of the type comprising arelatively fixed structure; and a relatively movable structure connectedto said fixed structure to move through a predetermined path withrespect to said fixed structure, and into an open position permittingaccess to the interior of said structure, and a closed positionpreventing such access: interlocking holding means for holding saidmovable structure in the closed position, including a movable latch bolton one structure, means on the other structure to deflect said latchbolt during movement to closed position, and means on said lastmentioned structure to engage said latch bolt and prevent opening; anexternally accessible handle carried by one of said structures andmounted for limited relative movement with respect to the structurecarrying it, and cam means carried by the same structure as saiddeflecting means and operable by the stated movement of said handle, forreleasing said latch bolt.

6. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type having a door, movableinto open and closed positions, and a body opening receiving said doorwhen closed: a rigid body portion extending past the crack between saiddoor and opening; an inturne-d flange on the door edge adjacent saidrigid body portion; a latch bolt pivoted on said rigid body portionabout an axis parallel to said door edge; said bolt and flange beingshaped to hook into each other; movable means carried by said door andaccessible from outside for unhooking said bolt; and externallyaccessible lock means for rendering said movable means inoperative.

7. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type having a door movableinto open and closed positions, and a body opening receiving said doorwhen closed: a rigid body portion extending past the crack between saiddoor and opening; an inturned flange on the door edge adjacent saidrigid body portion; a latch bolt pivoted on said rigid body portion andshielded from access by said body portion and said flange; said bolt andflange being shaped to hook into each other; movable means carried bysaid door and accessible from outside for unhooking said bolt; andexternally accessiblelock means for rendering said movable meansinoperative.

8. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a bodystructure and a pivoted door structure movable to and from a positionclosing an opening: a hook-shaped re-enforcing flange along the freeedge of said door structure; hookshaped pivoted latch bolts positionedto hook over the edge of said re-enforcing flange to hold said doorclosed; and resilient means urging each latch bolt independently intolocking engagement.

9. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a bodystructure and a pivoted door structure movable to and from a positionclosing an opening: a camming flange on the movable edge of said doorstructure; a latch bolt pivoted on said body structure and adapted to bedeflected by said flange; resilient means biasing said bolt to returnfrom deflected position and lock said door by retaining said flange; aslidable release bar having a camming portion to engage and release saidlatch bolt;- and externally accessible means for actuating said releasebar.

10. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a bodystructure and a door structure movable to and from a position closing anopening: a camming and re-enforcing flange on the movable edge of saiddoor structure; latch bolts pivoted on said body structure and adaptedto be deflected'by said flange; resilient means biasing said bolts toreturn from deflected position and lock said door by retaining saidflange; and a slidable release bar having a camming portion for eachlatch bolt; said camming portions being positioned to engage and releaseall said latch bolts simultaneously.

11. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a door frameand a door associated with said frame and movable into closed and openpositions: a door edge having a re -enforcing flange rigid with the doorand including a portion projecting at an angle to theline of movement ofsaid edge in coming to closed position; latch bolts movable on'saidframe and positioned to be I deflected by said projecting portion as thedoor is closed; resilient means for automatically returning said boltsinto locking position after deflection by said bolt-engaging portions,whereby said latch bolts form a direct connection between said frame andsaid door structure; and an externally accessible transmission carriedby said door for deflecting said blades to release said door.

12. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a door frameand a door associated with said frame and movable into closed and openpositions: a. door edge having bolt-engaging portions rigid with thedoor and projecting at an angle to the line of movement of said edge incoming to closed position; and a plurality of latch bolts movable onsaid frame and positioned to be deflected by said bolt-engaging portionsas the door is closed; resilient means for automatically returning saidbolts into locking position after deflection by said bolt-engagingportions, whereby said latch bolts form a direct connection between saidframe and said door structure, and an externally accessible transmissioncarried by said door for deflecting said blades to release said door.

13. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a door frameand a door associated with said frame and movable into closed and openpositions: a door edge having bolt-engaging portions rigid with the doorand projecting at an angle to the line of movement of said edge incoming to closed position; latch bolts movable on said frame andpositioned to be deflected by said bolt engaging portions as the door isclosed; resilient means for automatically returning said bolts intolocking position after deflection by said bolt-engaging portions,whereby said latch bolts form a direct connection between said frame andsaid door structure; a release member housed inside said door andmovable to engage said latch bolts and move them out of lockingposition; the portion of said door adjacent each latch bolt beingimperforate to prevent access to or location of said bolt; an externallyaccessible movable handle; a connection between said release member andhandle; said door being apertured to permit said connection; saidconnection obstructing the door aperture to prevent access to theinterior through said aperture. 7

14. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a bodystructure, and a pivoted door structure movable to and from a positionclosing an opening: a hook-shaped re-enforcing flange along the freeedge of said door; latch bolt means 15. In a lock mechanism for lockersof the typeincluding a body structure and a pivoted door structuremovable to and from a position closing an opening: a re-enforcing flangealong the free edge of said door; a slidable removable control baradjacent and parallel to said flange; and a lock housing fastened to theinside of said door, said lock housing being slightly spaced from saidflange and obstructing removal of said control bar.

16. In a lock mechanism for lockers of the type including a bodystructure, and a pivoted door structure movable to and from a positionclosing and opening: a hook-shaped reinforcing flange along the freeedge of said door; latch means for holding said door closed; and aslidable release bar telescoped in said flange and guided by itstelescoping engagement, and adapted to release said latch means.

17. In a closure lock mechanism for lockers of the type having a bodyand a movable door: a reinforcing flange along one edge of said door;movable latch bolts carried by said body and adapted for directinterlocking engagement with said flange; resilient means urging eachlatch bolt independently into locking engagement; and a release barslidable parallel to the door edge and having cam portions for.deflecting said bolts to release the door.

ADOLF E. FOHN.

